Mineral Wells Residents Vote to Restore Baker Hotel

Mineral Wells Residents Vote to Restore Baker Hotel

It's been one of North Texas' most iconic and imposing landmarks for 85 years. But for about half that time, most of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells has been boarded and closed.

It's been one of North Texas' most iconic and imposing landmarks for 85 years. But for about half that time, most of the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells has been boarded and closed.

Now voters in Mineral Wells have given a vote of faith to the effort to reopen that grand hotel.

By an almost unanimous vote, they approved using part of their sales tax to help pay to restore that towering structure you spot from Highway 281 long before you reach the town, looking as out of place as a grain elevator in New York City.

The final vote in favor of the sales tax plan was 1,558 to 65, or about 96%. Once a tourist draw from all over the nation and world, the Baker fell into disrepair in the sixties and finally closed in 1972.

After opening in 1929, the plush resort and its mineral water was a magnet for the rich and famous, which included Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Barbra Stanwick, The Three Stooges, even Bonnie and Clyde.

Developers hope they can get all the other funding in place by next year to start the restoration.

Copyright 2014 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.